About Cambodia We Care

It began as a simple journey, just a trip to see ancient temples and trace old footsteps.

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In 2005, Ted and Bonnie Nieman traveled to Southeast Asia. First to Vietnam, where Ted, a retired United States Army officer, showed Bonnie the places he had once known in the fog of war. Their plan was simple: a few days in Siem Reap, a glimpse of Angkor Wat, then home.

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But sometimes, simple plans open the door to something far greater.

Beyond the stone temples and the bustling markets, they found another Cambodia, one the tourists rarely see. A land where clean water was a treasure, and every drop meant survival. They watched children drink from muddy streams and ditches. They saw families scraping by without what most of us take for granted. And they knew they could not turn away.

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When Ted and Bonnie returned to the United States, they carried more than memories; they carried a mission. That same year, they founded Cambodia We Care…a promise, a calling, a beginning.

The first well was drilled on July 13, 2005, for a grandmother raising five grandchildren, and helping still more in her village by splitting wood to sell at market.

With clean water at her doorstep, everything changed.

She planted a garden. She grew food.

For the first time in years, she could nourish her family without risking her health to survive.

The Niemans’ journey widened. As water flowed through villages, they met Buddhist monks with another dream: a sewing center for women trapped in poverty and worse. Once again, Ted and Bonnie stepped forward, raising the funds to turn thread into hope, stitch by stitch.

Still, the story didn't end there.

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Far from the city, in the quiet village of Sambour, they found a "school" that was little more than a shack, one small room, a dirt floor, tree trunks as desks. Volunteer teachers taught without pay, guided only by the hope that learning could light a new path.

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The need was too great to ignore.

By November 23, 2009, a new school rose from the red earth: strong, bright, and full of promise.
Where once just a handful of children gathered, hundreds of students now walk through the doors each day, eager to learn, to dream, to build something better.

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After the first school building was complete, Ted and Bonnie sought leaders who could guide Sambour Primary School into its next chapter. Two remarkable individuals answered the call: Dana Yin and Sambath Da.

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Dana brought with her a lifetime of service. Sambath, a college-educated young man with a bright career in hospitality in the city ahead of him, chose instead to serve the children of this village.

"Our children struggle, are hungry, and face so many challenges," Sambath said. "How can I not help them and teach them?"

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Over the years, Dana and Sambath have become the heart of the school, serving as administrators, teachers, caretakers, and protectors.  They shape the curriculum and work with the Cambodian government to bring state teachers to Sambour Primary School.

They teach every day: Khmer language and culture, English, mathematics, traditional Khmer dance.

On Fridays, the school overflows with energy. Dana and Sambath organize a warm, nourishing lunch for every child, sourcing ingredients from markets in Siem Reap and supplemented by their own garden, transporting supplies, and rallying village women (and even the older students) to prepare a meal that feeds far more than just hunger.

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They steward the school’s finances carefully, ensuring that every pencil, every book, every uniform finds its way to the children who need them.  And when a child falls ill, or a family loses their home, Dana and Sambath step in, quietly, faithfully, with whatever help they can offer.  Since that first day, Sambour School has grown steadily, lovingly.  Today, there are three sturdy buildings: bright classrooms, a library filled with stories and dreams, a teacher resource center.

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Thanks to the faithful leadership of Bonnie and Ted, the tireless efforts of Dana and Sambath, and the spirit of the community itself, Sambour School now serves over 350 students…young minds that will shape tomorrow.

And behind it all, there is you.

The supporters, the donors, the believers who made it possible.

Each year, Ted and Bonnie work to ensure the school not only survives, but thrives:

• Funding salaries for Dana and Sambath,

• Offering stipends to state teachers who travel far to serve,

• Paying village women who tend the garden and prepare meals,

• Providing bicycles so graduates can reach distant secondary schools

• Purchasing School supplies, library books, and personal hygiene products

• Offering scholarships to students whose dreams would otherwise wither for lack of tuition,

• Supporting vital capital improvements that keep the school strong.

The work is not done.

We invite you to walk this road with us…
To stand with these children and their dreams,
To build a stronger Sambour community, one that will rise, strong and self-sufficient,
To forge friendships that stretch across oceans, between Cambodia and the United States.

The relationships we build today are seeds.

Together, we will watch them bloom…into hope, into opportunity, into a better tomorrow for all of us.